


Nine Walls of Konoha recursive

by SapphireValkyrie



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine, Naruto
Genre: Gen, Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25391605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireValkyrie/pseuds/SapphireValkyrie
Summary: This was the Naruto-universe, only not the Naruto-universe that I knew.Oh, shit.*Oh, shit is right* a voice resounds through my head, but it’s not my own.  *We have much to discuss, young Jinchuuriki.*
Comments: 9
Kudos: 127





	1. Worldbuilding

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [These Nine Walls](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9630455) by [witchbreaker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchbreaker/pseuds/witchbreaker). 



> The bolded parts are from DoS directly. At the beginning it pulls a lot the original, because at that point in time Shikako is the the Shikako she was in the original verse. It's only as the changes in the universe start becoming apparent that this Shikako starts deviating.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. I'm just writing this for fun and no profit.

**My name is Shikako Nara, and I am going to tell you a story.**

**You see, my name wasn’t always Shikako. It was… well, that hardly matters now. If you asked anyone around me, they would tell you that I have always been ‘Shikako’. They could take you to my twin brother, or my parents, and they would tell you ‘yes, that’s Shikako** , the Fifth Wall **. She was born in Konoha Hospital on the 22nd of September. I should know I was there’.**

**And it’s true. I was born Shikako Nara, daughter to Shikaku and Yoshina Nara, younger sister to Shikamaru Nara by thirty minutes.** That thirty minutes difference is what solidified our positions in the clan forever.

**But I was someone else before that.**

**Tentatively, I’ll say I was reincarnated. Even now, I’m not sure I believe it. Maybe this is just some illusion that my mind has cooked up - either before or after. I don’t know. What I do know, is that it** **_feels_ ** **real. So I decided to live as though it was. If it's fake, then I have lost nothing.**

**See, the reason that it was so hard to believe, is that this world, the one I’ve been reborn into? I’ve heard of it before. Or more precisely, I’ve read it in a manga and I’ve watched it on TV.**

**This is the Naruto-universe.**

**Yeah. Imagine** **_my_ ** **surprise when I worked** **_that_ ** **one out.**

Only, it’s not the Naruto-universe I remember from the manga or the anime. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse, really, since most of my knowledge is incomplete and incomplete information can be worse than no information. More on that later.

**As far as reincarnations go, well, I can’t tell you if it’s a step up or a step down. I had always been** **_safe_ ** **before, born into a safe family, in a safe town, in a safe country. Now, here was a world where things were rough and wild and even civilized people hired assassins. Was this a step down the karmic ladder? Had I been a bad person? On the other hand, for all that this world was terrifying, I had narrowly missed a worse fate - I had been born to Konoha, arguably the nicest shinobi village, to a good family.** It may not be the Konoha I remember, but we are still in many ways the ‘friendly’ village.

**I mean, in the stories, bad people are always reincarnated as ants and then stepped on, right?**

**I don’t know. I also don’t know why I** **_remembered_ ** **. I was an average person. I had siblings and parents, but no partner or children. I had a basic university degree and an average job. I left no outstanding legacies and committed no unutterable crimes. When I died, I doubt very many people noticed at all. I’m not the kind of person you want to rely on to save the world. Maybe some god up there has a weird sense of humour. Maybe it was just an accident. I slipped through the cogs of cosmic reckoning and wasn’t important enough to be noticed.**

**I liked that explanation best.**

**But like I said before, I was born to Shikaku and Yoshino Nara in the Konoha General Hospital on the 22nd of September as the younger of twins.** The next clan head and the next Fifth Wall.  **It sounds so amazing when said like that. A spiritual miracle. The truth was, at the time I had no idea what was happening. I was twisted and squeezed and the comforting darkness in which I hard rested was torn away. There was pain and cold and terror. There was immediacy. Things that hadn’t seemed important were suddenly at the forefront of my mind; what had happened; where was I; was I alive or dead, hurt or injured; what was going on?**

**I couldn’t tell.**

**When babies are born, their eyes are incredibly undeveloped. The entire world was a blur to me. It wasn’t quite colour blindness, but the easiest thing to see was the stark contrast between light and dark. I could see shapes and edges but the world looked incredibly confusing.**

**I was scared. Terrified. I didn’t know what was happening. I could hear, yes, but not understand what was being said. Had I suffered brain damage? Did I have aphasia? The thought terrified me. I can think of few worse fates than to be trapped with no method of communication to the world around me.**

**But even that didn’t explain everything. I was lifted and carried. I’ve always been on the short and thin side, but even that didn’t explain the ease with which I was lifted or how I was being carried. I suppose I must have been held in the crook of someone’s arm, but I could make no sense of the sensations at the time. It didn’t fit.**

**I did the only thing I could have. I screamed. I wailed. I cried.**

**It sounds odd that I, as an adult in mind, should respond that way. But I was, in part, at least, ruled by the instincts of the new body I inhabited. Even had I attempted to speak, my vocal apparatus wasn’t coordinated enough to allow it, not to mention the language barrier that was in place. So crying, the ultimate response to any kind of discomfort, it was.**

**It’s hard to convey just how** **_frightening_ ** **it was, to be helpless like that.**

**I will admit to being a horrible baby. I was near blind, confused and helpless. My body didn’t respond to me. And there was an unbearable itch inside me of forming chakra coils.**

**In response, I cried. All. The. Time.**

**I feel bad about it now. It must have been incredibly trying time for my new parents. (I felt uncomfortable calling them ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ at first. They weren’t** **_my_ ** **parents, the ones I remembered. On the other hand, I didn’t know their names to start with, and I lacked the understanding of the language to pick them out. It left me in a quandary. Of course, that didn’t last for that long. It was lonely, being a child. They were the only people I interacted with. They fed me, changed me, determined my schedule. It’s impossible to rely on someone like that and not come to love them.) They were, as most ninja parents are, fairly young when we were born. The war had only recently ended and they were probably still trying to adapt to the strange creature known as ‘peace-time’.**

**They tried everything they could. And when that failed, they took me back to the hospital, afraid that something was wrong.**

In this Konoha, Tsunade Senju was not a member of the Sanin. In fact, Tsunade didn’t even live in Konoha at all. The entire Senju clan lived in the Village Hidden in the Mist. As such, Konoha was not known for its amazing medical prowess, that title belonged to Kiri. The earnest but not-as-knowledgeable medic-nins couldn’t determine what was wrong with me.  **What they didn’t understand was that it was neither my body nor my chakra that was causing the issue, but my mind. Chakra was a limb I had never used, a sense I had never had, it was foreign and I didn’t understand. With knowledge and time,** and a little help, **I would grow to be as comfortable with it as any other, if unusually aware of it, but at that point, I was not.**

**At that point in time, I didn’t even know what it** **_was_ ** **.**

**All I could tell was that there was something** **_inside_ ** **me that had never been there before. It wasn’t just my own chakra, though, there was chakra in everything, including the very air I breathed. Sometimes, when I woke up from deep sleep, I would be convinced that I was going to drown on it. I would cough and choke and hack and flail about in panic until it set in that** **_it was just air._ **

**Of course, just when I was beginning to settle in, That Event happened. I was three weeks old when** I became the Fifth Wall of Konoha. At the time I had no idea what that meant or what was going on.  **I barely knew I was a child.**

**But I remember the chakra.**

Chakra was already a foreign concept to me. I remember feeling a massive, overwhelming,  _ angry _ surge of chakra approaching me and those around me.  **It was in the air like thick smoke and every breath I took made me choke on it. I was too terrified to scream.**

Only later would I realize that beneath the anger, there was sadness.

**It was nameless and faceless to me, and that only made it worse. I couldn’t quantify it or analyse it or understand it. It was an all pervasive horror that I could neither resist or fight.**

And then, they sealed it inside of me.

See, the biggest difference between this Konoha and the Konoha I knew from the Naruto-universe, was the treatment of the Jinchuuriki. Each of the major clans of Konoha possessed - though that’s not quite the right word since it implies ownership. Partnership? - one of the Bijuu and sealed them inside one of their members. They became the Nine Walls of Konoha, our greatest assets and the village’s pride and joy. Each clan had their own way of choosing the next Wall, but they were usually related to the Clan Head someway. This was both to protect the clan head and show how valued and respected Jinchuuriki were. There was no greater honour than being a Wall of Konoha.

I had no idea about any of this at the time. All I knew was this terrifying, angry chakra  _ thing _ was being forced inside of me. If chakra coils felt foreign, this was positively  _ alien _ . If I could have, I would have tried to fight it. It burned, like lava flowing through my veins as my chakra coils were forcefully widened and changed. It left my limbs numb and tingly, like really painful pins and needles, as my body tried to adjust to this new and foreign power. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I thought maybe I was dying all over again. It was terrifying.

**That feeling of being helpless in the face of overwhelming terror stayed with me for a long time. It was something that has both terrified me and motivated me ever since.**

**I am not ashamed to say I have had more nightmares about that day than I care to count.**

**But that was a single event of terror. Most of my days were filled with mind numbing boredom and a complete lack of control, over myself and the environment around me.**

**Most of my time as a baby was spent sleeping, and playing with my chakra, not that I knew what it was at that stage. But I desperately needed something to occupy my attention while I couldn’t interact with the world around me. At first I was cautious with it, but there seemed to be no effect to my manipulations, I grew bolder. Likely, it was enhancing my muscles even then, but since I wasn’t mobile, there was no discernible difference. I did, however, get a good ‘feel’ for my chakra, and probably developed very good control over it. Mostly though, I thought of it as something to occupy my adult brain, that was incredibly starved for stimulation.**

**There’s not really a way to describe how chakra feels. It’s like having a second set of veins solely to transport hot chocolate around your body, warm and comforting. Or maybe coffee, awakening and revitalising everything it touched.** The only part that felt off to me was where I could also ‘feel’ a strange barrier inside me near my stomach. I didn’t try to open it, but I could feel the massive amounts of chakra on the other side, so like that night when I was three weeks old. This didn’t remind me of hot chocolate or coffee, but instead of acid. I left the door well enough alone.

**Manipulating it wasn’t difficult. It wasn’t like trying to tame a foreign entity** \- though I would get practice on that sooner than I thought -  **or herd cats, or direct water from a hose. It was a swirl of warm energy, not just** **_directed_ ** **by my mind, but part of it. It’s so impossible to describe.**

**My sight didn’t fully develop until about six months of age and that was when I started to realize exactly where I was. That was also around the time when my vocal cords were formed enough to begin speaking. I picked up on the spoken language easily, as children are wont to do. I didn’t even have an accent, of which I was thankful, since that would have been difficult to explain.**

**It was frustrating, though, trying to learn a new language like that. No wonder toddlers are famous for their temper tantrums.**

**By the time I was a year old, the evidence for where I was was mounting. Dad’s standard attire was the shinobi flack jacket, and I had seen his headband. It wasn’t until we went to the park one day and I looked up to see the Hokage mountain,** vastly different than how I remembered it but unmistakable,  **that I could no longer deny it.**

**This was the Naruto-universe** , only not the Naruto-universe that  _ I  _ knew.

**_Oh, shit._ **

_ *Oh, shit is right*  _ a voice resounds through my head, but it’s not my own.  _ *We have much to discuss, young Jinchuuriki.* _

_ *** _

I’m not ashamed to admit that I freaked out when I heard a foreign voice in my head. I’d  _ just _ had a pretty earth-shattering revelation, now there were foreign voices in my head?

Wait, what’s that about me being a Jinchuuriki?

Even freaking out as I was, I knew well enough to not respond out loud.  **_*Who are you?*_ **

_*I am Kokuo, the Gobi*_ a foreign voice in my head announces. _*I think the better question is, who are you? The Biju Mountain has never been modified once they put our likeness upon it, so why do you have a memory of it appearing different?*_

Right, Kokuo, wasn’t he-it?-sealed inside of an Iwa ninja?

A flash of hot anger fills me, but it’s not my own. _*I was the first of the Bijuu to serve Konoha because I wished to, rather than because I was forced. I would_ ** _never_** _allow myself to be sealed inside anyone not of Konoha.*_

Oh, shit. I just managed to piss off a Tailed Beast within 30 seconds of speaking to it. That’s got to be a record or something.

Pushing aside my panic, I weighed my options. I could lie, but since Kokuo could apparently  _ read my thoughts _ , that’s pretty much impossible. My only option was to tell the truth, no matter how unbelievable it may sound.

I told Kokuo everything, starting with the memories I had of being born and not knowing what was happening. I told their about how it felt to  _ feel _ chakra, when I had none before. I told them about what I remember about That Night, which I now knew to be the night they were sealed into me, and how painful and terrifying it was. I glossed over what I remembered about my previous life, besides the existence of the Naruto manga and anime, not wanting to open sadnessYearning _ loss _ that came with thinking about all those I left behind, but I think they caught onto it anyways. I was lucky that Shikamaru only liked to nap and cloud gaze, even as a toddler, since I could lay there with my eyes closed talking to Kokuo without anyone noticing.

Kokuo didn’t say much during my narration, only asking questions after the fact. We discussed briefly the theory of reincarnation, before moving to alternate and parallel universes. At one point Kokuo announced they believed me if only because no toddler, no matter how genius, could think conceptually and rationalize about abstract ideas as well as I could. The only explanation for that had to be that I had a more adult mind.

In return, Kokuo told me about the Konoha they knew. Instead of joining together and founding Konoha, the Senju and Uchiha clans separated and helped found Kiri and Iwa, respectively. At some point in time Tobirama, brother to the Mizukage Hashirama, killed Uchiha Izuna, some relative of Madara, Kokuo thinks. This causes a war to break out between Iwa and Kiri, with the battleground being the Land of Fire. Sand and Cloud both took the opportunity to try and press for weaknesses, and everyone in Konoha pretty much got stomped on. The way Kokuo tells it, the Akimichi clan gained not only the Yamanaka and Nara clans as vassals, but pretty much every other clan in the area asked for their protection, that’s how bad the fighting was. Instead of the Battle of the Valley of the End, the Fall of Titans happened on Konoha’s doorstep with Hashirama being the victor.

The head of the Akimichi Clan, the Hokage in all but name, stepped outside to see the result of the fight. Hashirama spoke to him about peace, saying that Kiri did not wish to fight Konoha. Now normally, the Akimichi are not known for their tempers, but many of their own and those they had sworn to protect had been killed because  _ others  _ were fighting. Akimichi Choumaru had had enough.

"We had peace. Our children were safe and our homes protected until your brother started this war. Do not tell us of peace, Senju, when it is you who brought war to us. Your forces have killed ours. Your soldiers have ruined our fields. You have doomed us. Retreat to your Isles for all I care. Sand, Cloud, and Rock will destroy us anyway."

Every history book has those words in them, when they talk about the founding of Konoha. They would speak of how Hashirama looked around, and saw the complete and total destruction of the landscape around him from his and Madara’s battle. Konoha itself was barely standing. They didn’t have the manpower to defend against even one of the great villages, never mind all three of them. 

As his first act of apology, Hashirama created what would later become Konoha’s namesake, what is known even now as the great Hashirama trees. Larger and taller than any trees known to man, they would serve to keep the village hidden and provide protection from the open elements.

His second act of apology would be to offer the power of one of the Tailed Beasts. His wife, Mito Uzumaki, had created a seal that would allow someone to seal a Bijuu inside themselves and use their power. There was much mistrust at first, but Konoha was in no position to deny such a boon, and Hashirama was known to be honest - for a ninja. They did ask that they learn the process behind the sealing, in case anything went wrong. Hashirama did not only this, but gave them the most powerful of all the Bijuu, the Nine Tails.

Despite Hashirama’s efforts, Konoha was still losing to the combined efforts of Cloud, Rock and Sand. Desperate, Konoha searched for other Tailed Beasts to seal into their soldiers. They named them Jinchuuriki, for the ones chosen to host the Bijuu risked their very life if they were not able to adjust to the foreign chakra. With the power of four Tailed Beasts, Konoha pushed back Cloud, Rock and Sand and ended the First Great Ninja War. Knowing that the other villages might later seek revenge, Konoha searched for the remaining Tailed Beasts and sealed them. 

I was amazed at how different history was here compared to the other Naruto-universe. I felt both relief and fear knowing that everything I thought I knew was wrong. Relief, because it helped me see this world as ‘reality’ rather than as a story, and fear since now I don’t know anything that’s going to happen. Would the Akatsuki still exist? Was Orochimaru still evil? What would happen to Naruto if he wasn’t the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails? Would the Uchiha massacre still happen? Would Sand still invade Konoha?

Kokuo didn’t know the answers to any of the questions that I had, unfortunately.

_ *No matter what happens, we’ll face it head on,* _ Kokuo said with determination. I could feel their willpower pressing onto mine.  _ *That’s what it means to be one of the Walls of Konoha.* _

I asked what a Wall of Konoha was, not being familiar with the term. I could feel Kokuo’s pride and happiness as they spoke about how loved the Jinchuuriki were by the village, being the sole reason Konoha survived. The Bijuu they contained however, were more feared and respected than loved. Understandably so, since the Bijuu themselves weren’t all that pleased with being forcibly sealed inside puny humans. This all changed when a Jinchuuriki befriended his Bijuu for the first time. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised that it was a Nara that was too lazy to fight with Kokuo that ended up befriending them. When Konoha learned that the Bijuu were  _ more _ than just masses of chakra that were full of anger and hate, that they could be  _ befriended _ , they were delighted. Within two generations, all of the Bijuu had been befriended by their hosts, which allowed even greater usage of their powers. The seals were adjusted, and for the first time Jinchuuriki were able to fight side by side with their Bijuu, or even transform into their Bijuu and share power. The other villages had scoffed when Konoha said that their greatest power was friendship and teamwork, but Konoha knew better.

The entire construction of Konoha revolved around the Jinchuuriki. Nine walls were built around Konoha, representing their Jinchuuriki. As a last defense of the village, each Jinchuuriki would guard one wall each. This is where the term the Nine Walls of Konoha comes from. At all times there must be at least one Wall within Konoha itself. Usually this is the Sixth Wall, always a Yamanaka and their partner Saiken, the Rokubi, but if their power was needed elsewhere another would take their place. Instead of the mountain having the faces of the Hokages, the greatest ninja of the village, the faces of the Bijuu are carved upon the mountain. They, and their Jinchuuriki, are the greatest of their village, willing to give their very lives.

And since I was three weeks old, I was the Fifth Wall of Konoha, Jinchuriki of Kokuo, the Gobi.

I had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Jinchuriki are some of the strongest ninja in the Naruto-universe. In a world where the strong survive and the weak die horrible, painful deaths, this was an unexpected boon. On the other hand, I would have no choice in whether or not I would be a ninja. Once Kokuo was sealed into me, my destiny was laid out before me. Whether I wanted to or not, I would be a defender of Konoha. I probably would choose to be a ninja regardless, but coming from a world that promoted free will the lack of choice chaffed.

Surprisingly, it was Kokuo themself that helped me come to terms with that. They didn’t have a choice when they were first sealed, but they eventually decided to make the best of their situation, befriended their jailer, and haven't looked back since. 

_ *The choice has already been made, whether you made it or not,*  _ Kokuo told me.  _ *Why not make the best of it?* _

After that fateful day at the park, life carried on pretty much the same as usual for me, except now I could talk to Kokuo when I got bored. I’m not sure if anyone else caught on to what I was doing, and I never broadcasted it. I had enough trouble trying to make myself seem like a mostly-normal child, using Shikamaru as a measuring stick.

I also decided that if I was going to be a ninja, never mind a Wall of Konoha, I would do my damned best to be a good one. Partly because it seemed exciting - the idea of being able to walk up walls was  _ so cool _ \- but also because it was my best bet for surviving. I’ll never forget how terrified I was when I first encountered Kokuo, even though I know  _ now _ they were never malicious. That feeling of helplessness and fear would continue to drive me for a long time.

Of course, I couldn’t immediately try walking up walls. That’d be both obvious and extremely dangerous to my young body. I instead tried to make my hands and knees stick to things as I crawled around. It was more difficult than it sounds, since being a Jinchuuriki I have way more chakra than the average ninja. I’m so lucky that the first time I tried it I was outside and no one would miss the rock I accidentally blasted away. It gave me greater appreciation of the fact that in the Naruto-universe, he’d been able to learn tree walking so quickly having absolutely zero idea what chakra manipulation was. Kokuo gave lots of encouragement and advice, but I could feel their amusement whenever I messed up big time like that.

It took me a long time to be able to control all the chakra I had, never mind Kokuo’s chakra. They advised not trying to access their chakra until I was actually informed about their existence by someone else. It could be dangerous for my body and chakra coils to use their chakra, since it’s so fundamentally different from mine even if I’d have small amounts of it feeding into me my whole life. Burns and chakra coil damage were the lowest levels of injuries I could cause myself if I messed up, so I was content to wait.

When we were two, Shikamaru started speaking in full sentences, so I did too. I decided that I wanted to know more about the history of this world, since it was so radically different from not only my own world from Before, but also from what I expected the Naruto-universe to be. I started with story books, trying to find ones based around the history of Konoha and the Walls. Luckily, that was one of the favourite stories of little children, so it wasn’t strange for me to do this.

I was a little unnerved by how easily I picked up reading this new language. I’d tried to learn Japanese before, but I’d never been terribly successful at it. Kokuo and I had lots of discussions about the soul and the mind and how that all was connected. Clearly I’d been born with all of my previous memories, but my mind worked faster and understood things more easily now than Before. Both were aspects of the mind, so when my soul was reborn in this body, did my mind come too and merge with this one? Or are memories tied to the soul and the mind and that’s why my memories are still there? We thought of a dozen or so different theories, but didn’t come to any definitive conclusions.

Once I was a bit older and had gone through all of the storybooks, I started reading history books. I could read books from the library that were available to civilians and some books from the Nara clan library, but it was enough. I read about the Warring Clans Era, the Great Shinobi Wars, the founding of Konoha and the formation of the Walls of Konoha in both the literal and representative sense. I read any and all books that I could get my hands on, coming to the conclusion that besides the obvious differences I’d already had Kokuo explain to me, this universe was incredibly similar to the Naruto-universe. When I plowed through all the elementary history books in a couple of months I moved onto codes and ciphers, basic as the ones in the library were.

I must have looked like such a nerd.

Though I’d never tell anyone besides Kokuo this, I was extremely relieved that this world was so different from the one I knew. If it was the same as how I somewhat remembered, I would have been the only one who had that semi-reliable future knowledge. No one would have believed me if I said anything, which would have made telling anyone impossible. But I would never be able to stand by and watch as my family gets hurt. My father was supposed to  _ die _ , originally. I probably would have driven myself into the ground trying to prepare for a terrible and terrifying future only I knew was coming. Being in a world where nothing is as I expect it to be, where there’s a decent chance Obito never became Tobi and Madara was still dead, was a relief. I wouldn’t have to hide knowledge about things, since most of the knowledge I have is obsolete. 

I may not know what’s coming, but the Akatsuki would sure as hell have a difficult time capturing all of the Tailed Beasts if they were so loved and treasured by Konoha.

Not that I didn’t want to be strong anyways. Orochimaru is still a missing-nin, I learned from the history books. But most missing-nin had grudges against their home villages so I can’t discount the possibility that he might still plan the Sand-Sound invasion, even if the Uchihas were unlikely to be there for him to steal. And even if Akatsuki never forms, which is probably wishful thinking on my part, the S-Class missing-nins that made it up probably still exist. There are only two members that I think may not be a part of it, considering how radically different the Uchiha situation and Kiri’s existence is. I can’t see anyone of the Senju or Uzumaki families running Kiri the way it was to cause Kisame to defect, but that’s not something I can rely on.

The fact of the matter is, I’ll be a target no matter what, since I’m one of the Walls of Konoha. I’m expected to be one of the strongest nine ninjas of Konoha, which puts a huge target on my back. If I can be taken out or captured, that’s a pretty big blow to both our attack power and our last line of defense. Very few people exist that can take out a fully trained Jinchuuriki, but they  _ do _ exist. Case in point the Nine Tails getting stolen  _ caused _ the Third Shinobi War, its Jinchuuriki killed in the extraction. Sakumo Hatake still ended up committing suicide over it, and his only son and the clan heir Kakashi refused to let his cousin take the Nine Tails when we got it back, so he became clan head and the Ninth Wall at four years of age.

Yeah, the clan of the Ninth Wall is the Hatake clan. Surprised me too.

Since that event, Konoha is a little bit more careful about letting the world at large know who its Walls are. And by little I mean that as a start they declared any knowledge of Walls below Jonin level to be an S-Class secret. Anyone with any amount of knowledge of Konoha would be able to figure it out, but very few outside of Konoha know exactly how we choose our Walls. They might know that the Fifth Wall is a member of the Nara Clan, but they won’t necessarily know that it’s  _ me _ .

Hopefully.

***

I was seven when I first met the other Walls of Konoha. The night before I met them, it was a week before the Academy was due to start and father sat Shikamaru and I down in the living room for a talk. There was an unusual edge of seriousness and focus that conversations in our family usually lacked. I noticed it, and I could tell Shikamaru noticed it, since he for once looked completely alert and attentive despite the late hour.

“Now I’m sure you know,” Dad began, looking at both of us seriously, “that being a ninja is about more than just fighting. It’s about protecting our family, our clan, our alliance, and the village.”

We both nod. Indoctrination starts pretty early here, if you live in a clan. Clan pride and village pride are extremely important, and we’re taught to protect and value that. Any child would willingly die for their clan if necessary, before they even entered the Academy. By the age of twelve, that die-hard loyalty is expanded to the village as a whole.

“I’m the Clan Head,” Dad tells us, though we both know already. “This means that I’m responsible for everyone in our clan. I make sure they are safe and protected. They look to me to lead them to the best of my ability, and in turn I expect them to do their best for the clan, and for the village. I’m also the Jonin Commander and one of the Hokage’s advisors, which means I have a responsibility to the village. I coordinate our forces, and am responsible for their lives. They expect me to make the best decisions for the village, and I expect them to complete the missions I or the Hokage send them on for the sake of the village. The Hokage expects me to analyze the problems before him, while I in turn expect him to make the best decision based on the information I and Inoichi give him. Make sense?”

We both nod again. This was the most in-depth anyone had gone about the duties of being a ninja. Usually people just like to talk about the cool moves they can do, and the amazing feats they’d accomplished on missions. Children our age only care about becoming strong ninjas, not looking underneath the underneath at what else that comes with the job. 

Dad turns to Shika. “Being the eldest, you are the Clan Heir and will become the next Clan Head. You will be responsible for the members of our clan one day. To protect and care for them and to do what’s best for the clan.”

Shika sighs, but doesn't look terribly surprised. I was astounded that even at the age of seven, he could have already figured out how clan succession worked. Sure we knew that our grandfather had been the previous head, but I don’t think anyone had come out and said that our dad was the head now  _ because _ he was his son.

“Troublesome,” Shika says with a slouch. He didn’t reject the idea outright, despite not looking pleased about this. I was surprised by his maturity. “What about Kako? Is she going to help me like mom helps you?”

Aaand he’s already trying to pass on the responsibility. Why am I not surprised? I can hear Kokuo laughing in the back of my head and I let an amused grin slip forth.

Dad chuckles, before quickly sobering back up. “Not quite. Shikako’s role is quite different.” He pats my head, trailing his hand down to place his thumb beneath my eye. Being the host of Kokuo, I’d developed some distinctive markings. My upper eyelid was now a deep, vibrant red, as if I’d worn heavy eyeshadow for a stage performance. A much thinner red line traced the bottom of my eye, this one looking more like eyeliner then eyeshadow. The red sweeped out the side of my eyes, not quite reaching a point but not quite round either. The other change I had was the tips of my hair turning a light goldish colour. Whenever my hair was cut, a few days later the gold would show back up at about the bottom 10% or so of my hair.

Dad looked so proud but also sad when he spoke next. “When Konoha first started sealing Bijuu, we started with the Nine Tails. The man who volunteered to seal it within himself married into the Hatake Clan, where it resides to this day. We sealed three other Bijuu during the First Shinobi War. The Three Tails went to the Akimichi, the strong defense of the turtle working well with their Multisize Jutsu. The Six Tails went to the Yamanaka, as they were the first vassals of the Akimichi and the most vulnerable in combat. The Five Tails…” he trailed off.

“The Gobi went to the Nara,” I finish for him. Everyone knew I was a huge history nerd, so it wasn’t surprising anyone that I knew this. Everyone knew the stories of the Walls of Konoha. It was literally a bedtime story for children.

Dad nods at me, a ghost of a smile on his face. “That’s right. The Nara have fought alongside the Fifth Wall since the founding of Konoha. Unlike the Clan Head, whose priority is to the clan first and the village second, the Fifth Wall protects the village first. They protect the clan by defending the village. The previous Fifth Wall… was my younger brother.”

I never knew how the last Fifth died, but I knew it wasn’t from old age. Kokuo never wanted to talk about it, so I never pushed. Even now I could feel an their deep, aching loss that they feel for my uncle.

**_*You really cared for him,*_ ** I say carefully. Wanting to comfort Kokuo but not wanting to push or make them feel like he needs to share anything. I just want to be there for Kokuo like they are for me when I miss my family from Before.

_ *He was a great man, and a greater partner,* _ Kokuo says, but doesn’t offer anything more. I send feelings of love to them, trying to tell them that they are not alone.

“Was?” Shika catches on quickly. 

“Was,” Dad confirms with his breath only slightly shaky. “He died shortly after you were born.” He doesn’t say how, or why. I’m as reluctant to push him about it as I am to push Kokuo.

“Who’s the Fifth Wall now then?” Shikamaru asks. As far as the children stories go, whenever a Wall dies the next one is ‘created’. 

“I am,” the words spill out of my mouth before I can stop them. I can feel Kokuo laughing in my head while doing the mental equivalent of a face palm. At least I managed to cheer  _ someone _ up.

Dad and Shikamaru both turn to stare wide-eyed at me. It occurs to me that maybe I’m not supposed to know about Kokuo yet? I’m not sure how I could have missed it, with the eyes and the huge amounts of chakra and energy I have that is not at all typical for Naras.

“What?!” “How long have you known?”

I shrug, nervously tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “I’ve kinda always known?” I end with a question instead of a statement. Dad does not look impressed. “Kokuo’s always been there. We talk a lot. When I read history books they tell me about the events they were part of. So that I can get a more detailed account.”

I’m rambling at this point, but I don’t really know what else to do. Kokuo still won’t stop laughing, so they are no help. Shika still looks rattled. It must be quite a shock for him. Being told one of the heroes of our village, one of the very  _ Walls _ , is his own sister. Every kid has wistful dreams about being one of the heroes of our village. One of the favourite games we play is The Walls of Konoha in the Great Wars. Everyone fights to be one of the Walls, while those that aren’t have to be the attacking villages. It’s sort of like being told your sister is actually Wonder Woman.

Dad chuckles, but there’s a look of realization on his face. I’m guessing some of my behaviour in the past suddenly makes sense. “Usually it takes a while for a Bijuu to… warm up, so to speak, to the next Wall. I’m surprised that the Gobi was so willing to speak with you so quickly.”

What a nice way of saying the Bijuus get upset when their previous host dies and doesn’t really want to talk to anyone after. The Wall and their Bijuu literally spend the human’s entire life together, or pretty close to it. They are right there with them as they grow up, become ninjas, become  _ heroes _ , and then they die. Even if it’s a peaceful death, which is really rare, they’re still gone forever. I wouldn’t want to talk to anyone after that either.

Kokuo sends a trickle of affection, laced with amusement, trying to cover up for the deep sense of loss they are still feeling. I huff, both at their and at my Dad. Both of them just look and feel more amused.

“I’m glad you and the Gobi are getting along so well,” Dad says sincerely. “The Gobi will be your partner, the closest being to you your whole life. It’s important that a Wall is on good terms with their Bijuu.”

I wonder if he means that sincerely, or if it’s just a subtle manipulation. Even when Naruto was unaware the Nine Tails had a thoughts or feelings, he was able to pull on his power. Theoretically, I could probably learn to Kokuo’s power without being friends with him. I wouldn’t, and it probably wouldn’t work as well as it would if we were friends, but I  _ could _ .

I push that thought away. Konoha values comrades and teamwork above all else, the other villages simultaneously mock and fear us for it. Dad is probably very sincerely happy that Kokuo and I are friends.

“Both of you are old enough now that you can start learning about your roles,” Dad says, addressing both of us once again. Shika turns back to him but still looks a little shell shocked. “I won’t be teaching you about shadow manipulation until after you start the academy, but I will start teaching you about other things. Tomorrow, Shikako will go to meet the other Walls of Konoha that are in the village. While she’s gone, I’ll teach Shikamaru about clan matters.”

I can feel Kokuo’s excitement, which feeds into my own. “Really? I get to meet others?”

I knew  _ of _ the other Walls. Some of them, anyways. Kakashi of the 1000 Jutsu is the Ninth Wall, obviously. Even without the Sharingan, Kakashi is brilliant at ninjutsu. His other nickname is Red-Eyed Kakashi, which caused a huge fuss in Iwa because they thought he had stolen their Sharingan. Really his eyes only go red when he’s channeling the Nine Tails chakra, hence the nickname. Jiraiya is the Fourth Wall of Konoha, even though he’s not part of the Sarutobi clan. They were in the field when the previous Fourth Wall died, and the Sarutobi clan head Hiruzen chose to seal it inside his student. Orochimaru never forgave being passed over, which is what many believe led to his eventual defection. The Sixth Wall is Ino’s aunt, I think. The third wall is one of Choji’s older cousins. I don’t know who the others are, but it would be amazing to meet any of them.

Dad smiles at my excitement and ruffles my hair.

“It’s getting pretty late,” Dad says as he stands up. “Off to bed you two, you have an exciting day tomorrow.”

I give my dad a hug, smile not diminished one bit. Shika looks much less enthused, but follows me without protest. His day is going to be much less exciting than mine, so I don’t begrudge his lack of enthusiasm.

Later that night, after our parents have gone to bed, I creep towards Shika’s room. I’ve been working on Cat’s Foot, a chakra technique to quiet my steps, so I was almost silent as I creeped towards Shika’s room.

Shika’s still awake when I crawl under the covers. I use a bit of chakra to light up my hands so that we can see each other. I’ve never seen such a thoughtful look on Shika’s face.

“What’s he like?” Shika asks after a bit.

“They,” I correct automatically. “The Bijuu all choose to identify differently, but Kokuo doesn’t identify as a girl or a boy so they use a different pronoun.”

I wonder how many surprises Shika can handle in one night when he looks bewildered once again. “Right. Sorry.”

Kokuo feels amused, so I don’t think they’re offended by Shika’s mistake. I didn’t think they would be, since Shika’s only seven and doesn’t know any better, but I don’t want him to keep making the same mistake.

“Kokuo is pretty awesome.” I gush. “They are super nice, and patient when I don’t get something. They like history, so we talk about that sometimes. And philosophy. They don’t like fighting too much, but they love Konoha for being home, so they’ll protect it. They like us too, the Nara I mean, especially our deer. I think the forest is their favourite place in Konoha.”

I can feel Kokuo’s surprise at how much I know about them, as well as large amounts of affection. I allow myself to feel my own affection for them, as a way of ‘sending’ some back.

“I’m glad that you get along so well with… them,” Shika stumbles a bit with the unfamiliar pronoun. “I didn’t know the Bijuu had names.”

“Of course they do!” I say louder than I should, offended on Kokuo’s behalf. “Everyone has a name! Why would they be any different?”

Shika shrugs. “I don’t know. You never hear any names in the stories. It’s always The Five Tails, or the Gobi. I’ve never heard of the name Kokuo before today. Do you know any of the other names?”

I open my mouth to answer, then close it, thinking about it. I know their names because of Before, but I’ve never actually read them anywhere in this life. 

**_*Kokuo?*_ ** I ask hesitantly.

_ *It’s a sign of respect,* _ Kokuo says patiently.  _ *It means a lot for one of us to give out our name. Only those that we allow to use our names can use them. Your father knows my name, but doesn’t use it because I have not given him permission.* _

“Kokuo says that only people who have earned the right to say their names can say them,” I bring my attention back to Shika, who is frowning a bit. I guess I had kind of just spaced out in front of him. Oops.

“What would I have to do to earn that right?” Shika asks after a while. I had turned off the light and we were now cuddling in the dark.

“Why?” I ask curiously, or is that Kokuo’s curiosity?

“They are important to you,” Shika says honestly. “From the way you talk about them, it sounds like you’re really good friends. So I want to get along with them too, even if I can’t really talk to them like you can. It’d be troublesome if we didn’t get along.”

I giggle. “They say you’re off to a good start.”

***

I nervously walked towards the top of the Bijuu Mountain extremely early the next morning, holding my dad’s hand. Even though I’m nervous, I can feel Kokuo’s excitement trickling through, so much so that it’s affecting me. Normally, Kokuo tries to make sure their emotions don’t affect mine, but I don’t mind too much. I’d probably be way too shy to talk to anyone if I didn’t have Kokuo’s excitement trickling through. Or I’d faint from nerves.

I can sense several chakra signatures hidden from sight. The top of Bijuu Mountain isn’t officially closed to the public, but it’s well known that this is where the Walls of Konoha meet. There’s enough space above the monument that even the Bijuu can fit, if that were necessary (usually it isn’t since everyone can just communicate via the Bijuu mindscape, but no one is supposed to know about that and I only know because of the show) and it’s secluded enough that most people won’t wander by to gawk or fangirl over the village heroes. Today however, I’m pretty sure it’s ‘officially’ closed, and anyone who tries to come up here will politely be turned away. I’m fairly certain it is mostly because of me. While most people in Konoha would assume I’m the next Fifth Wall, considering the Nara clan always chooses a child of the clan head to be the Wall it’s a pretty reasonable assumption. The Hokage has yet to confirm that I’m the Fifth Wall however, and until he says so the Fifth Wall doesn’t technically exist in Konoha. It’s one of those things that everyone knows but no one talks about. They aren’t even  _ allowed _ to talk about it, since the knowledge of who the Walls of Konoha are is an S-Class secret until they are revealed by the Hokage himself. Dad had to get special permission to tell Shikamaru and I last night, even though I’m the one the secret is about!

We are still far from the top of the mountain when I can begin to feel several large chakra sources. Their chakra is so immense that it makes it difficult to tell exactly how many there are. I’m quite awed by how much power they emit, even when they are at rest.

Then I realize that I’m expected to be part of this extraordinary group of shinobi, and my nerves come rushing back tenfold.

What if I can’t measure up to whatever standards they have? What if they hate me? What if-

_ *Enough!* _ Kokuo says firmly.  _ *You have already decided to be the best ninja you can. I believe that you will be extraordinary even without your extra knowledge. We will walk this path and become the Fifth Wall once again. There is nothing we cannot accomplish together.* _

I can feel Kokuo’s resolve and encouragement. My heart warms at Kokuo’s faith in me. I straighten with new determination.

**_*You’re right!*_ ** I tell Kokuo. I want to say more but Dad speaks up then.

“Talking to the Gobi?” Dad asks pleasantly. I nod hesitantly, still unused to others knowing that I know. “You should be careful when you do that. Until you’re strong enough to defend yourself, we don’t want anyone to know who you are. You’re already going to have a hard time remaining inconspicuous with how obvious your Markings are.”

I huff, but don’t get too angry because I note how he says  _ who _ you are instead of  _ what _ . In canon, Jinchuuriki were treated as weapons or possessions at best, pariahs at worst. Here I’m constantly surprised to find how much they-  _ we _ are cared for as people. We may still be weapons, but we are also beloved clan and family members, idols and heroes of the village. It’s a pleasant surprise though.

Dad’s other comment catches my attention. “You mean these?” I ask, gesturing to my eyes and the tips of my hair.

Dad nods. “Most Walls have some sort of physical trait that they develop from their Bijuu, called Markings. If they become a Wall before the age of 5 it’s pretty much a guarantee. Sometimes it’s subtle, or easily hidden, but yours are quite obvious. Some try to pass their markings off as make up, or obscure clan markings. We’ll probably try to do the first one, since it’s well known the Nara have no clan markings and your mother is of a civilian background.”

I think about what he said for a bit. “But, wouldn’t anyone who saw the last Fifth Wall recognize my Markings?” Kokuo feels a pang of loss at the mention of their previous partner, so I send an apology their way. They brush it off, knowing I didn’t mean to upset them.

Dad shakes his head. “His Marking was a couple of streaks of white in his hair. No one really knows why Markings show up the way they do. White hair is the most common Marking of the Fifth Wall, which actually gives you a bit of leeway since that’s what others will expect. Some previous Fifth Walls had entirely white hair, while others like my brother only had small amounts. People used to think it was a power relation, with more Markings meaning more power, but that’s not quite accurate. Kakashi is one of the most powerful Walls to ever exist, and he has very few Markings. The most accepted theory by medics is that those whose bodies adjust to Bijuu chakra more easily have more visible markings, since chakra is partially physical energy and that energy can affect your body in turn. This is supported by those who become walls at younger ages having more visible Markings, since their chakra coils are not as developed and more susceptible to the influence of Bijuu chakra.”

I mull that over as we near the top of the mountain. Kokuo had been sealed into me when I was three weeks old, well before my chakra coils had finished developing. In our baby pictures I looked identical to Shikamaru until a little after we were a year old. After that small amounts of red started to show up on my upper eyelids. It wasn’t until after I’d actually met Kokuo that the changes started getting more obvious. From what Kokuo told me, the seals used were slightly different than the ones Uzumaki Mito originally designed. One of these changes was to allow small amounts of Bijuu chakra to constantly be flowing into the Jinchuuriki’s chakra coils. This served two purposes; the first was that it would increase the amount of chakra the Jinchuuriki had in a more natural way than actively pulling on Bijuu chakra when it was needed would, and the second is that it helps the Jinchuuriki build up resistant to the poisonous nature of Bijuu chakra. Ever since I was two I’d been doing as many chakra exercises as I could, constantly bringing myself to the brink of chakra exhaustion. While this was happening, Kokuo’s chakra would trickle into me, even when I was on empty. It was very possible that at those points I had more Bijuu chakra in me than my own chakra. That could explain why my Markings are so vivid and dramatic I guess.

Further musings would have to be considered later, as we had arrived at the top of the Bijuu Mountain. Further ahead, I saw several figures that I recognized, and several I didn’t.

Akimichi Chouza made for an impressively large figure, wearing the red and white Hokage robes. It was the first time I’d ever seen my father’s teammate wearing them, and it was startling to realize ‘Chouza-ojiisan’ could be anything other than the kind, ever-laughing, uncle figure I knew him as. While he was smiling, his face had none of the mirth it usually did when he came to visit the Nara compound. At his right stood another Akimichi, whom I had seen before at Ino-Shika-Chou gatherings. Akimichi Chokichi, Third Wall of Konoha, looked very intimidating in his red and gray chakra armour. The gray matched the tips of his hair, which I guessed must be his Markings from the Sanbi.

Another figure I recognized and was surprised to see was Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage. The man looked nearly identical to canon Jiraiya, with the only difference being the light green Markings that spread out across the bridge of his nose, arching towards the red lines on his face before curving down like they were asymptotes and stopping at the edge of his face. I had expected Jiraiya to be out doing spymaster-stuff, but maybe he didn’t need to if there were no Akatsuki to spy on? Or maybe he didn’t feel so terrible about Konoha since he hadn’t lost nearly everything in the Nine Tails attack that never happened in this life.

I also recognized the frail figure of Yamanaka Inoko. Inoko had been a sickly child, and even later becoming a Wall and having the amazing regenerative powers that came with it, never fully recovered from that. While physically weak, even with her vast amounts of chakra, Inoko was a prodigy of the mind arts and very adept at using her transformed Bijuu form. I knew her only distantly, as she preferred her work and the company of Saiken as opposed to the social gatherings our clans host. I wouldn’t be surprised if the few clan gatherings she attended were to meet me specifically, as she would have been one of the very few who knows who all of the Walls are.

There were seven other figures in the clearing. It takes me a while to realize I actually knew a few of them. Inuzuka Tsume is positively fierce-looking, especially with Kuromaru at her side missing an ear and wearing an eyepatch. I am not ashamed to admit that I feel very intimidated when her eyes focus on me across the field. At her other side stood a young boy that I guessed was Kiba, because he did not look like a Kiba I knew. While he had the same triangular clan tattoos I remember, he also had what looked extremely similar a black Robin mask on his face. With a start I realize  _ Kiba _ must be one of the Walls, the First, if I remember correctly. Gaara had had thick black rings around his eyes in canon, but Shukaku had a full face-mask. Perhaps the whole mothers-love-protection-thing that Gaara had, tried to protect him from more overt changes? I can’t imagine anyone else being more connected to Shukaku that Gaara was, so that’s the only reason I can think of that Kiba has more visible Markings than Gaara. Or maybe there’s just an inherent difference in how Jinichuuriki work in this universe? None of the other Jinchuuriki besides Naruto had any Markings in canon, now that I think about it. Standing next to them was a tall, stern-looking Hyuuga man, which could be Hiashi. At his side stood a stoic Neji, who’s heterochromic, pupiless eyes were yellow and blue instead of the Hyuuga white. He also looked to have some blue in his hair, but I couldn’t be sure from this far away.

The last two people there are completely unfamiliar to me. The one I’m most interested in is the little girl. She has long brown hair tucked into a braid, but within the braid I can see flashes of not-quite-pink-not-quite-purple entwined as well. The girl is a bit hunched in on herself, as if she is afraid or uncomfortable about something. A woman with obvious resemblance is at her side, but the distance between them is telling.

“Ah, Shikaku. About time. Hello Shikako-chan,” Chouza says with a smile when he notices dad and me. “I trust there was no trouble?”

Dad shakes his head. “We took the back streets, and it’s too early for most people to be awake.” Dad shoots an unimpressed look at Chouza, probably wishing he could be one of those still sleeping.

“I’m only looking to protect their identity a little longer, Shikaku,” Chouza admonishes lightly. Dad nods in acceptance and apology. Even though they are best friends and teammates, in this situation Chouza is Hokage, not Chouza-ojiisan.

“I’m glad everyone could make it,” Chouza says with an earnest smile. “For several years now, Konoha’s greatest defense has been several members short. I am pleased to welcome our young members into this prestigious group, even if we must keep their participation secret for some time yet to protect them from those who would seek to harm them.”

It still amazes me sometimes, actually seeing how differently Jinchuuriki are treated in this Konoha. In canon Jinchuuriki were treated as tools and weapons at best, but were also feared, scorned and reviled at worst. It’s one thing to see children wanting to be the Walls of Konoha, but even the adults love and respect them-  _ us _ . They realize the sacrifice we are making in that we have no choice: from childhood we will always be targets, and we will give our very lives to defend Konoha in ways regular ninja can never imagine. 

“I suppose introductions are in order,” Chouza says. “I am Akimichi Chouza, the Hokage of Konoha.”

“Everyone knows who  _ you _ are,” Kiba says obnoxiously. I can’t help but let out a small giggle when his mom cuffs him in the back of his head in silent reprimand. The Inuzuka are known to be blunt to the point of rude, but even they treat the Akimichis with due reverence.

Chouza waves off the apology Tsume begins to offer. “That is very true, Kiba-kun. I just wanted to start us off, so to speak. Why don’t you go first then? It is your right after all, as you will be the First Wall of Konoha.”

Each Wall has a role in Konoha. The First is the first to attack and the first to defend. While it is hard to establish who is the ‘strongest’, it is well known that the Ichibi is the ultimate defense, and the Kyuubi is the ultimate attack. By being the first to attack, the First Wall draws the focus of enemy fire, allowing others to go on the offensive while the First defends. In social situations, the First Wall introduces themselves first, and because they are Inuzuka they will be loud and brash. This attention drawing tactic functions for the same purpose as it does on the battlefield, drawing focus away from other more deadly threats. Not that the First isn’t deadly, but it’s role is always to be the defender, even if it’s by attacking.

“Alright!” Kiba shouts happily. I’m a little distracted by how the black around his eyes makes their sparkle of excitement more apparent. “My name is Inuzuka Kiba! I’m the next First Wall of Konoha! Nice to meet you!”

I suppress the urge to giggle again. Seven year old Kiba is adorable.

Without any inflection in his tone, Neji speaks next. “I am Hyuuga Neji, the Second Wall of Konoha.”

The Second Wall is part of the Hyuuga clan, and the head of the Branch Family. I wasn’t sure who that was going to be since Neji was a candidate, and Hinata and Hanabi had fought to determine who would be clan heir at some point when Hinata was in the Academy. But if Hyuuga Hizashi had been the previous Second Wall, then Hanabi wouldn’t have been born yet when he died and so Neji would have had to become the Wall. This might actually be a boon for Neji, as the Second Wall cannot have the Caged Bird Seal placed on them since it interferes with the Nibi’s seal. While he would still be part of the branch family, he would be allowed - expected even - to learn all of the main branch style, to better protect the main branch. The Second Wall also had more freedom than anyone else in the Hyuuga family, since they answer directly to the Hokage, then whoever is the commander of the Walls of Konoha - usually the Fifth Wall since Nara have a reputation for being tactical geniuses, another thing I have to learn - and  _ then _ the Hyuuga. I wonder how this will change Neji. The Second Wall has a very aggressive role, combining the Hyuuga style with flaming limbs allows for nothing less. Given what I know of Neji from canon, he’ll be very scary in the future.

“Hello everyone, I am Akimichi Chokichi, the Third Wall of Konoha,” the Third says with a jovial smile. He probably wants to make sure the kids don’t feel intimidated by his large stature.

Like the First, the Third Wall of Konoha plays a more defensive role. With the Akimichi Multi-Size jutsu combined with the shell of the Sanbi, they are able to tank most attacks without a scratch. Their size can also be used to force opposing shinobi to split up, making it easier for other Walls to deal with them. Also like the First they serve as distractions on the battlefield and in social situations where their size can be especially intimidating.

“I am the awesome and amazing Jiraiya, the Fourth Wall and the great Toad Sage!” Jiraiya says with as much enthusiasm as Kiba. He’s nearly as large as an Akimichi, I realize, with the enthusiasm of an Inuzuka. Yet he contains the Yonbi, which is traditionally held by the Sarutobi clan. It was a huge scandal when the clan head, Hiruzen, chose to seal the Yonbi in his student on the battlefield rather than have it reform back in Konoha and give it to one of his clan members. Jiraiya at the time was only just young enough to safely seal a Bijuu inside him to begin with. Once a ninja hits their teen years, it becomes increasingly risky and lowers life expectancy if they survive the initial sealing. To make matters worse, Jiraiya had no clan, he was just a nameless orphan that was Hiruzen’s student. Jiraiya made it his mission to prove to his teacher that he made the right choice, becoming one of the greatest shinobi the world has ever seen. The only Seal Master outside of the Hidden Mist and the Uzumaki clan was only the first of his achievements. He signed the Toad Contract and learned from them how to become a Sage, something that no ninja was known to accomplish since the Sage of the Six Paths. On top of all of that he served as the greatest Fourth Wall Konoha had ever seen, manages Konoha’s spy network as Spymaster, and is an extremely successful author.

The Fourth Wall is almost purely offensive. The Yonbi is physically the strongest of the Bijuu, with only the Kyuubi able to contest him in physical might, and an expert in taijutsu. That strength is passed along to the Wall, along with the fire and earth combination jutsu to use lava release. The ability to coat himself in fire armour only increases his taijutsu capabilities. Combined with toad oil, this makes Jiraiya a fearsome opponent even when prepared. The Fourth Wall is deployed when Konoha wants to do maximum damage to many targets, as much for destruction as for making a statement. 

When everyone turns to me, I realize that it’s my turn. With a slight blush I introduce myself. “My name is Nara Shikako, the Fifth Wall of Konoha. My partner is-”

**_*Not yet,*_ ** Kokuo cuts in.  **_*I’ll introduce myself later. Refer to me as the Gobi for now.*_ **

The Fifth Wall of Konoha, halfway between the First and the Ninth. Strong in offensive and defensive techniques equally. While not physically as strong as the Yonbi or even the Kyuubi, the Gobi and their Wall are able to enhance their strength by increasing their chakra to the boiling point. This fire and water nature combination release creates the boil release, allowing the use of steam-based ninjutsu. The steam can be used offensively, but also defensively. Copious amounts of steam are released from the body when it’s being used since the entire body’s chakra is steaming, causing physical attacks to burn the attacker. Enough steam can be used to create a pseudo-mist, impossible to see through and scalding to anyone inside it. The Gobi’s most notable trait is its incredible willpower, being the only Bijuu that can consistently break out of mental attacks that the Sixth, powered by the Rokubi, uses for training purposes.

I nod to myself. “The Gobi says they will introduce themself later. It is nice to meet you.”

Unlike the Kiba, who received nods or waves in greeting after he introduced himself, everyone stares at me. I try not to let my discomfort show, but I end up fidgeting a bit with the hem of my shirt anyways.

“I didn’t know you could speak with the Gobi already,” Chouza says with a look to my father, who just laughs a little. 

It’s my turn to shrug, a little defensively. “I’ve always been able to talk to them,” I say quietly. “I thought Walls were supposed to be able to communicate with their Partner?”

“With time, yes,” Jiraiya cuts in. “The seal we use is something I worked on with the Mizukage, which allows for several adjustments over time. The seal we use initially doesn’t allow for mental communication, since it can affect children’s mental growth. We were going to modify your seals today and bring all of you to the Bijuu mindscape to introduce you to the Bijuu. I’ll have to take a look at your seal later.”

Huh, that makes sense. The kid would have no idea what’s going on and might think it’s a ghost or something. They’d probably panic or tell their friends, which would make keeping the secret difficult.

Topic seemingly closed for now, the others continue with their introductions. “My name is Yamanaka Inoko, the Sixth Wall,” introduces the only adult kunoichi Wall.

The Sixth has traditionally played mostly a support role in the past, even if they are capable of doing other things. Their corrosive liquids and gases are quite potent as an offensive attack, not to mention their prodigious affinity with water jutsu, but far more valuable is the sticky substance they can emit that can be used to capture enemies alive. This combined with Yamanaka’s Mind jutsus make for perfect catch and interrogate missions. Or subduing enemies for others with more firepower to take care of if the numbers are overwhelming. The Sixth Wall is the one that is usually stationed in Konoha, leaving only for missions that require their enemies to remain alive for T&I to interrogate later. 

Chouza speaks up again. “The Seventh Wall is still too young, so we will go move on to the Eighth Wall.” The Seventh Wall is an Aburame, and like the Nara they usually choose the second child of the clan head. I don’t know if Shino ever had a sibling in canon, which makes me feel sad. It’s understandable that Naruto-universe was focused on, well, Naruto, but there was so much it never touched upon that I wish I knew. 

The last to introduce themselves is the girl I don’t know. “M-my name is Kurama Yakumo,” the girl is so quiet I can barely hear her. She reminds me so much of Hinata from canon with how shy she is. Why have I never seen her before? “I activated my bloodline recently, so I became the Eighth Wall of Konoha.”

That’s right, the Kurama clan does things differently than the other clans. Unlike the other clans who decide who their Wall is based on lineage, the Kurama clan only selects their Wall once they have displayed that they possess their bloodline limit. Even if the child would be the next clan head, they are removed from succession and become the wall instead. Their bloodline is incredibly powerful, unbreakable genjutsu and having the ability to make them become reality and a physical transformation that gives them demonic power similar to how I remember the curse seal working on the Sound 4, at the cost of their mental stability and the inability to use ninjutsu. Somehow they also only become passable in taijutsu at best, but they aren’t sure if that’s a product of the bloodline or not. This causes the Eighth Wall to be the one that uses Partner combat the most, fighting side-by-side with the Hachibi while they cast genjutsu. Since the Hachibi is established to be the second strongest of the Bijuu, on par physically with the Kyuubi or maybe even stronger, this makes for a team with very few weaknesses.

“Ah, sorry I’m late,” a voice says from behind me. I whirl around. How long had he been standing there?! I hadn’t sensed him at  _ all. _ Considering I can still sense the Anbu nearby, that’s no small feat. “A bird flew into my window, so I had to go find some paint.”

That made… no sense. Maybe it’s coded? Standing there so casually, reading a bright orange book that was probably Icha Icha, stood Kakashi. I knew him to be the strongest ninja of Konoha, the Ninth Wall. I knew he was deadly, and yet I could see no trace of it. From his messy hair to his slouch, he looked very much like a lazy, porn-reading crazy guy, no trace of the lethal ninja to be found. I couldn’t help but be impressed, and a little intimidated.

The Kyuubi is hands down the strongest of the Bijuu offensively, which is why Iwa wanted to capture it. It is one hundred percent destructive power and rage, which can be deadly even to allies if the Ninth Wall loses control of his temper. The closest thing it has to a defensive power is a burning cloak of Bijuu chakra, which burns anything it touches and can even harm the Jinchuuriki with prolonged use. The Kyuubi has so much chakra that anyone outside of the main line would be unable to hold it, since the original Jinchuuriki was an Uzumaki who had left his clan during the clan wars because he fell in love with a Hatake woman. Only someone with Uzumaki blood could hold the Kyuubi without being ripped apart from the inside, that’s how powerful the Kyuubi is. Hatake Kakashi is perhaps the greatest Ninth Wall to ever live, infamous amongst all countries and one of two ninja to ever receive a flee-on-sight order - the other is Kiri’s Mizukage the Yellow Flash, who is capable of wiping out entire contingents in seconds.

Of course, Kakashi was also infamous for being a perpetually late, porn-reading troll. But that’s mostly amongst Konoha’s populace. He dances to his own tune and takes great pleasure in mind-fucking people. There are only a few people in the village that he will listen to, and all of them are here.

“Kakashi,” Chouza says warmly, sounding not at all exasperated with the Ninth’s late entrance. Everyone knows that the Hokage has the patience of a saint, and after Sakumo’s death the Hokage all but adopted Kakashi. With the help of his two teammates, they taught Kakashi how to manage a clan, how to control his power as a Wall, and the importance of teamwork and family. I think they all truly see Kakashi as a son, and the feelings are returned which is why Kakashi respects them so much even if he is so much more powerful than them. The only reason I’ve never met Kakashi before is because he’s been in Anbu for the past several years after the deaths of his genin teammates. It’s likely the Hokage pulled him from missions just for this meeting and will send him back after we are done.

Since the Hokage didn’t call Kakashi out on being late, no one else said anything. Kiba clearly wanted to, but Tsume had clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent him from putting his foot in it. Neither Hyuuga looked impressed, but it was hard to tell since they were both pretty good at not showing emotions.

“We were just finishing up introductions,” Chouza prompted. Kakashi wasn’t a genius for nothing, so he knew what Chouza wanted.

“Yo. I’m Hatake Kakashi, the Ninth Wall of Konoha. Welcome to the club.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing at anyone calling the group of Konoha’s strongest ninjas, its Walls and guardians, a club. I thought of everyone wearing boy scout uniform and couldn’t suppress a small giggle. Kakashi glances at me from behind his book, and it’s the first time I realize that he has both eyes. It’s shocking, and I quickly avert my eyes to prevent myself from staring.

“Well then,” Chouza says with a clap of his hands. “Normally, meetings amongst the Nine Walls of Konoha are restricted to only yourselves, and possibly myself, but for this first meeting I thought it would make our new members a bit more comfortable to have a family member with them. Now, Jiraiya is going to go around and modify your seal so that you will be able to communicate with your Partner and enter the Biju mindscape to meet them formally.”

I thought about what Chouza said as Jiraiya walked over to Kiba. Neji still probably hates Hiashi for his father’s death, so having him accompany Neji probably didn’t make the Second Wall feel any more comfortable. Kurama Yakumo was still standing quite a bit away from her relative, and she was shy enough that one would normally expect her to be all but clinging to the one known entity in a group of strangers. Tsume was probably brought more to keep Kiba in check than to keep him comfortable. The only one who really fits this criteria is me, I realize with a start. 

**_*Astute observation,*_ ** Kokuo says with amusement.

_ *The Hokage isn’t supposed to play favourites?*  _ I half state, half question.

**_*He’s the Hokage,*_ ** Kokuo says as if that’s all that needs to be said. When I don’t respond they continue,  **_*The Hokages can do whatever they want.*_ **

_ *Except control a Biju,* _ I counter.  _ *Biju can’t be controlled.* _

Kokuo sends the mental equivalent of a shrug.  **_*When we made the decision to befriend our Hosts and Partner with them, we became much more closely tied with Konoha. We are citizens of Konoha in all but name, and all citizens of Konoha answer to the Hokage.*_ **

  
  
  



	2. (Start of) Chuunin Exams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Our sensei is Red-Eyed Kakashi, the Ninth Wall of Konoha,” I say just loud enough for them to hear me. “We don’t need luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as last part: bolded text is taken directly from DoS.

I wasn’t all that surprised that Kakashi nominated us for the Chuunin exams. We’re the only team to have two Walls, and Sai is of the Shimura Clan and insanely talented. I’ve been making progress on my seals since I talked to Jiraiya, Yakumo’s paint illusions get better every day, and Sai’s paint creations are keeping us both on our toes when we three-way spar.

Huh, maybe we should name our team Team Paintbrush, with how much each of us use one.

All three of us agreed that we should prepare full travel gear, just in case. We were told to meet at the academy, but what if that’s only a meeting place? Even if the exam followed canon, I didn’t know how long before the second exam took place. If it was immediately after, I wanted to make sure we were prepared.

The academy was super busy, even when we showed up half an hour early. I could see teams from Konoha, obviously, but there were also teams from Rain, Grass, Sound and even Mist. I didn’t see any from Sand, but I didn’t doubt that Gaara, Temari and Kankuro would be here. Even if there was no invasion, which I was sincerely hoping for, the Kazekage would want to show off the power of his children.

I make hand signs for Yakumo and Sai to follow, which they do without hesitation. I wasn’t quite sure when they decided that I was team leader when Kakashi wasn’t around, but I could see why they did. Yakumo was still too shy about non-combat things, and Sai lacked people skills and the ability to make field decisions. Danzo had conditioned that out of him even in this life.

The same two chunin from canon were guarding the doors on the second floor, genjutsu in place. The three of us share a look at just how crappy the genjutsu was. As a team that worked with genjutsu as powerful as Yakumo’s, and my ability to disrupt normal genjutsu before it even begins to affect me, this was positively pitiful.

Team Gai is pretending to fall for it, or at least, two thirds of the team was. I think Neji thought it beneath him to pretend to be beat up for the sake of being underestimated. Lee lets himself get beat up, while Tenten is pleading to be let through. I was actually surprised how believable she makes it look. Then the guards go on to talk about how the exams were not a joke, and that if you couldn’t handle this, how can you be expected to lead missions? They were a bit too obvious in their speech, I couldn’t help but think.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one.

**“Real nice speech,”** a voice I vaguely recognize came from the entrance of the room.  **“Now both of you step aside and let me through. And while you’re at it, release the genjutsu, we can see through your illusions anyway. We’re going to the third floor.”**

I’m really glad that everyone’s eyes are on him, because the extreme amount of shock I feel seeing  _ Sasuke Uchiha _ , wearing  _ Iwa _ hitai-ate, at the  _ Konoha Chunin Exams _ , was no doubt all over my face. I was only reasonably sure that Sasuke even  _ existed _ , at this point, since I’d heard rumours about Itachi, who was still a genius prodigy the likes Iwa (the world really) had never seen. Iwa and Konoha are on shaky terms at best, so I was really surprised they’d send a genin team here at all.

I watch as the proctors attack Sasuke, ticked that he’s ruining their fun. Or maybe they just want to take a shot at an Iwa shinobi. Lee interferes before the second attack can connect,  _ much _ faster than he’d been before. Neji and Tenten try to recover the situation, before of  _ course _ Lee challenges Sasuke to a fight.

I couldn’t help it, I snorted with laughter. Even in this universe, Lee can’t help himself from wanting to challenge Sasuke, no matter the fact that he’s just met him. Does he even know he’s an Uchiha?

Of course, because the room was absolutely silent at this point, everyone turns to look at me. Sasuke looked angry, but I can’t tell if it’s at me or Lee or the whole situation. His teammates, two kunoichi who look vaguely familiar, look a bit resigned over their stupid hot headed male teammate. Yakumo and I have similar looks about Sai, but that’s more about his complete lack of social skills than being hot headed. Lee looks elated, to my immense dismay.

“My beautiful hime!” Lee shouts joyfully, abandoning Sasuke and rushing towards me. “It is so YOUTHFUL to see you here! I shall defeat any competitors for your heart, for you are so beautiful and full of YOUTH!”

I sigh. Well, at least Lee understood the importance of  _ not _ broadcasting my unofficial status as the Fifth Wall to all of these foreign ninja. It’s very common for the people of Konoha to address me as Shikako-sama, or Shikako-hime, even though it’s never been officially declared that I am the Fifth Wall. It’s proper to address Walls with -sama, but at some point in time it became normal to address female walls with -hime, especially if they are part of the Akimichi, Yamanaka, or Nara clans. It makes me uncomfortable sometimes, being addressed with -sama by people who are much older than me, but I’m slowly getting used to it. Thankfully, the way Lee addressed me can just be brushed off as a pet name from someone who wishes to court me, rather than the title it is.

“I’m not interested in dating,” I say blandly, causing Lee to faceplant. “Besides, the exams haven’t even started yet. You want to be kicked out because they think you don’t have patience?”

Lee vaults himself back up again. “Of course not! I will show them my patience, or I will run 100 laps around Konoha on my hands! Yosh! Tenten, Neji, let’s go!”

The three of them disappear, and the crowd disperses with the lack of anything potentially interesting happening. 

“You’re pretty good at handling him,  _ hime _ ,” Yakumo says with a smirk.

I glare at her, not appreciating the nickname. Sure, everyone who might hear her say that is just thinking she’s teasing me about Lee. She is, but she’s  _ also _ teasing me about how much the title bothers me, and how I just made everyone think it’s a pet name.

“Shut up,” I growl. I gesture for us to go up the stairs, very deliberately ignoring the Iwa ninja behind us.

Kakashi is there at the stairwell, waiting for us.

**“I’m glad you all came,”** he says warmly, for once not trolling us.

“I didn’t know Iwa was part of these exams,” I say by way of greeting. Kakashi has more cause to hate Iwa than most, so it’s curious that he didn’t mention it.

Kakashi’s eyes flash red for the briefest of moments, but his chakra barely even stirs. His voice is mild but his stance is rigid when he addresses us. “They arrived a bit unexpectedly. Of course the exams are open to all, so we wouldn’t turn them away. They sent two teams, along with their senseis. The only major village who hasn’t sent any teams is Kumo.”

So Sand  _ had _ sent a team. So had Mist. Good to know. I nod to let him know I understand how important it is to keep a low profile. Yakumo also nods.

“Anyways,” Kakashi relaxes a bit more, but isn’t quite casual.  **“Now, you can formally register for the Chunin Exams. Only groups of three are allowed to apply for and take the Exams, so it’s good you all came together.”**

That isn’t a surprise to me, considering my extra knowledge. Yakumo and Sai both start a bit, not quite capable of hiding their own surprise.

**“I’m proud of you.” He smiled. “Couldn’t ask for a better team. Good luck.”**

I can feel three chakra signatures coming up the stairs behind me. I don’t need to look to know that it’s Sasuke’s Iwa team. My smile is full of teeth.

“Our sensei is Red-Eyed Kakashi, the Ninth Wall of Konoha,” I say just loud enough for them to hear me. “We don’t need  _ luck _ .”

I can tell from the look in his eye that he knows exactly what I just did, why I did it, and finds it absolutely hilarious. If any of us made it to the third round, everyone would find out who our sensei was anyways. By informing the Iwa-nin of it  _ now _ , they’d have that knowledge hanging over their heads the whole time. Iwa stole the Nine Tails from the Hatake clan, causing a domino effect that led to the Third Shinobi War. Kakashi flew through ranks insanely quickly, Wall or not, and grew up to cause absolute hell on them in revenge for the slights on his Clan and Konoha. Only the Yellow Flash was more feared and hated by Iwa, but both have a flee-on-sight order in the Iwa Bingo Book. The Bingo Book also has a special note that Kakashi tends to get especially vicious and violent when anyone harms his teammates. 

Any genin of Iwa will think twice about attacking us now, I think gleefully. Kokuo has mixed feelings of amusement and resignation, as they usually do whenever I act too much like my crazy sensei. Sai has a look of slight confusion, but Yakumo’s grin matches mine as we walk into the room to await the First Exam.

***

I casually glance around the room when I walk in. I see the Sound team from canon, as well as Temari, Kankuro and Gaara. To my immense dismay, Gaara looks very similar to how he did in canon, complete with the uneasy way his siblings look at him. Is Gaara still unstable? He isn’t possessing a deranged Shukaku this time - or is it being possessed? - so why do I feel so uncomfortable around his chakra? It feels… wild and angry. I’m so confused, but a touch from Yakumo makes me realize I’m staring and I casually look away. 

Not wanting to stay in the doorway when I know Sasuke and his team are just on the other side, I make my way to the other rookies.

“Surprised you’re not late,” Shikamaru says casually when we come level with the other rookies.

I resist the urge to snort. “Despite Kakashi-sensei’s best efforts, none of us have taken after him in his perpetual lateness. There are so many better things to learn from him.”

It occurs to me that mentioning Kakashi may have been a mistake with all of the genin in the room. The room had been fairly quiet, so everyone could hear our conversation. I’ve just given them reason to focus on it.

“Oh, before I forget, watch out for the team consisting of Rock Lee, Tenten, and Hyuuga Neji. They have fairly good deception skills and Rock Lee is exceptionally fast. Also, Iwa has sent teams.” It seems only fair to warn a bunch of clan heirs and another Wall of Iwa’s presence. By grouping it with Team Gai, it looks more like I’m warning them about potential threats in the competition and not threats to other things. It’s sort of redundant, since all of us as clan heirs and Walls know that Neji is a Wall and would watch out for him regardless, but by mentioning Rock Lee hopefully the attention is on him and not on the Wall in his team.

The others don’t so much as stiffen their spines, but I know they take my warning seriously. Iwa is not well liked here.

“Shikako-hime, Yakumo-hime, lovely to see you ladies again,” Kiba says almost mockingly. I sometimes regret that the cover the three of us use is Kiba being a ladies man. No one questions a bunch of preteens going to ‘hang out’, especially if it’s well-known if Kiba is a flirt and both of us must be hopelessly in love with him despite our outward demeanours of lack of interest. Clearly we are just playing hard to get, even though we never say no when he asks to hang out. Hanging out with Neji is a bit easier, since he was rookie of the year in the year above us and we can claim wanting to learn from our genius senpai, but it also makes it look like Yakumo and I are fangirls of him. 

“Kiba,” I acknowledge. Calling him Kiba-sama would ruin the act, even though I’d love to see how he would react to that. He dislikes formalities even more than I do.

**“You guys too huh? Man, everyone’s here for this stupid thing,”** Shikamaru complains.

**“Yup, here we all are. The Nine Rookies,”** Kiba says with a laugh, Akamaru yipping playfully on top of his head. I forgot that’s how the stupid nickname started. 

It’s interesting how the dynamics have changed amongst the Rookie Nine without the presence of Sasuke and Naruto. Kiba doesn’t feel the need to posture so much, since in taijutsu he is clearly the best of our classmates without Sasuke to beat him. For all his prodigy, Sai’s forte is definitely not taijutsu. No Naruto means no loudmouth, but also means no quiet admiration for the boy who never gives up even though he’s told time and again he doesn’t have what it takes. There is no unbelievably beautiful boy to turn all the girls into our class into rabid fangirls, so the skill level of the kunoichi is slightly higher. 

“By the Walls,” Ino suddenly gushes. “Who is  _ that _ ?!” Looks like I spoke too soon.

I follow Ino’s gaze to see a stoic Sasuke watching our group. His eyes flick to mine, perhaps wondering what me or my team is capable of. I doubt he’s worried, since that’s not at all something Sasuke would feel over a genin team, but maybe he wonders if we might be a challenge for him? Even without the clan massacre, I doubt he doesn’t have a drive to become better and beat strong opponents. His black eyes are intense, and he doesn’t look away when his teammate talks to him to answer. 

I take extra care to make myself casually look back at Ino, not wanting to show any sign of nerves. “He’s on one of the Iwa teams,” I tell Ino, making her slump slightly. “From his looks, probably an Uchiha.”

Kiba growls. “I’ll totally kick his ass!” Yakumo looks a step away from growling herself. I don’t blame them. Though incredibly rare, some Uchiha were known to be able to have eyes powerful enough to  _ mind control _ Bijuu or, in one case, their Wall. The Walls of Konoha are impossibly strong, but all of that power is equally devastating if it’s turned onto our own allies. When a Wall becomes Chunin, they take special lessons from the Yamanaka to learn how to break mind control, and then the Kurama Clan to learn to break powerful genjutsu. It’s not the same as dealing with the all-powerful Sharingan, but it’s the only way we have. I know Obito had the power to control the Kyuubi in canon, but I’m not sure if he has the same power now if the bridge incident never happened. Shisui I know in this universe has the ability, but in the past he’s only ever used it to stop an attack. He’s never tried to turn the Wall on Konoha even though he could. That doesn’t lessen the anger and fear the Walls have for him.

**“Sheesh, you guys sound confident,”** a new voice interrupts. It’s familiar, for some reason.

I half listen to him speak, trying to figure out why I feel a sense of deja vu. My memories of canon are fading every year, with only the most important moments standing out, but it feels like I should know him.

**“I’m Kabuto Yakushi.”** And then it clicks.

The rage that bubbles up within me is not unexpected when the memories of what Kabuto will do come tumbling forth. The Chunin invasion. Working with Orochimaru. Working with  _ Madara _ . The mass Edo Tensai, making everyone fight their dead loved ones. Never before have I felt the urge to completely  _ destroy  _ someone. It didn’t matter that I have never met him before in my life, I wanted to make him  _ suffer _ .

**_*Shikako! Control your temper!*_** Kokuo shouts in my head.

Their voice cuts through the haze of my anger like a knife, snuffing out my Killing Intent before it had truly begun to leak out. Everyone in the room had clearly felt it, however. I could hear the stuttered breaths of those around me and see the paleness of those across the room, but it wouldn’t have lasted long enough for anyone to pinpoint where it came from. Hopefully, most will attribute it to a test by the proctors before the Exams start. I wouldn’t be able to fool the other Walls or Shika, since they were familiar with Kokuo’s power and probably felt his chakra in my KI.

“Leave,” I tell Kabuto coldly. If he continues to talk to us I’ll probably lose my temper again and no amount of shouting from Kokuo would be able to snap me out of it. I’ll have to do a lot of calming exercises later to make sure I am more in control of myself when I see him again.

“Yatta! This is going to be awesome-dattebayo!” A loud voice calls from the doorway, breaking me from my thoughts.

Naruto. Looking so different from canon it’s startling. No whisker marks. Only his t-shirt is orange, his pants are black and his arms are wrapped in bandages. He has a Mist hitai-ate instead of Konoha.

And yet…

His loud, excited voice is the same. That huge grin that looks way too happy is identical. The overconfidence as he barely takes stock of potential threats is the same as how canon Naruto started out. The sun-yellow blonde hair looks as bright as his personality, which in turns looks even brighter than what I remembered, but it’s unmistakable.

“Be quiet maggots!” A voice calls out. 


End file.
